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Topic: Coca Cola commercial (Read 2618 times)

did anyone catch the Coke commercial where everyone sang America the beautiful in a foreign language? I found that sort of insulting to me as an American. I thought that America was a melting pot we brought all immigrants together and become one America. Now it seems all groups stay separated and segregated and stay with in their own groups.

.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called “the government.” They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

My great grandfather left Czarist Russia (escaped when the soldiers came to draft him...the family story is that his mother and sisters distracted the soldiers while he left out the back door...when I was young I thought that meant they served them tea and strudel) and came to America.

He settled in New Bedford and supported his family with a horse drawn fruit cart. He could communicate in many languages (as a port city there were many languages being spoken), but never could read or write in English...Yiddish was his native tongue, and when reading or writing was required the kids would do it (I'm sure before the kids there were others in the community).

My grandfather (his son) was able to setup a hot dog cart at the beach when he graduated high school at 17. One day he passed a vacant storefront on the waterfront in the city, and with a handshake, rented it and opened a grocery store...lost everything twice (in hurricanes) but was able to support his family well and sent my mother to college, and my uncle through medical school. He would do various kinds of business deals (buy out a failing store and such). When he died, there were several people whom he had loaned money to that had been paying back the loans regularly...the terms were that any outstanding debt was wiped off the table...these were handshake loans, and they changed peoples lives and allowed them to start their own businesses and take care of their families.

His two children were much better off then him, and they were able to send all of their children through college...the 5 of us range from Lawyers to honey peddlers, none have been 'failures'.

Is this not _exactly_ the american dream? My great grandfather couldn't read or write English, and lived in an Orthodox Jewish community that might be viewed as 'closed' by many.

God Bless America.

On a related note, I haven't fact checked it, but Colbert tonight pointed out that 'America the Beautiful' was written by a woman...a woman that lived with another woman for 20+ years in what was known as a 'Boston Marriage'.

...when I say 'God Bless America' in this context, I say (and type) it with a literal tear in my eye.

I was planning to post excerpts from the history of the shtetle from which my great grandfather left, but it is too much and too involved...culminating in the entire remaining Jewish population (with very few exceptions), marched to pits by their neighbors that had been dug...then shot, and buried (many alive).

Interestingly, it was a place known for its mead. My grandparents were still living when we took up beekeeping, but I never heard anything about bees in the family history.

I do think that the government should work in English only. It is important for competent interpreters to be available for court trials and such, but as far as official forms and such, English only.

Many who come here will never read and write English...but they have children and community members that do....a great opportunity for young people to be involved in their community and in the larger United States...a way to start business.

that is my point maybe I did not express it correctly. Immigrants at one time came to this country and did what ever was required to become a part of America and to live out the "dream".

Now I see immigrants that want nothing to do with the dream. They want to wave the Mexican flag or Russian flag or what ever flag. They refer to themselves as Mexican American, Irish American, German American. What happened to them referring to themselves as American by way of wherever. I am American by way of my grand parents from Germany. I would never refer to myself as German American. I am American my grand parents worked all day and learned English at night so they could assimilate into American culture. They stood up and sang the American anthem in English even though they had no clue what the words meant in the beginning. Never would they have sung America the beautiful in German. My grand parents had more respect for America.

Also yes America the Beautiful was written by a lesbian who cares she was an American. She wrote it in English

As I stated, my great grandfather did not learn to read and write English, and he lived in what would be seen by most (myself included) as a closed insular community. He did interface with others (he had a fruit cart), but mostly associated with other Orthodox Jews from his community, spoke mostly Yiddish, prayed in Herbrew, and made sure his children married other Orthodox Jews from within the community.

He was absolutely an American, but I doubt his English was any better than many of the Chinese ladies that we meet at market that barely speak English....they get along well enough to do business (as my great grandfather could with all of the non English speaking communities he dealt with in New Bedford), but it would be a stretch to call this 'speaking English'.

For him, singing America the Beautiful in English would have been like ABBA singing 'Dancing Queen' (or me reading Hebrew out loud)...the sounds are there, but no clue what they/I am saying. I'm much more concerned with the authentic expression of feeling and thought that comes from speaking from one's native tongue than I am with making the appropriate noises.

Making all government forms in English only is, I think, a worthy step to take. Being upset with America the Beautiful being sung by non-whites in other languages in the act of trying to sell more sugar water with caffine seems to be missing the point.

"I love America" parroted as a phonetic excercise is a superficial act...saying "I love America" in the language that you _think in_ has meaning for the person speaking.

My grandmother on the other side of the family had German roots...but she desperately didn't want to be seen as an "Immigrant" or 'ethnic'.

When she talked about her family history, they came from England (the ship that took them from Germany came through England).

She had my father's Bar Mitzvah party filmed in 16mm...a few years ago I had the film transferred to digital before it fell apart completely...the captions do not say "Bar Mitzvah", but "Confirmation". There is no 'Jewishness' in the party whatsoever...I don't see this as "American" and I don't see it as 'honest', and I don't see it as 'progress'.

If anything makes this Country great, particularly in the eyes of the rest of the World, it is our general acceptance of multiculturalism.

IMO; it is 'one' thing that we all can be proud of it, that we can/should embrace and allow to naturally expand. Those among us who truly believe in justice, liberty and freedom should back up those beliefs by exposing and condemning those who resist the inevitable expansion of even more multiculturalism in America and the world through their own self serving hate and bigotry. We cannot tolerate bigotry and call ourselves a freedom loving people at the same time.

I know its scary for some…but acceptance of the inevitable will feel better in the long run, short run too :)

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"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

For thousands of years, self preservation has been a good thing. Now, too many want to change it's definition to self serving hate and bigotry. It was the fall of Rome, and it is now becoming the fall of the USA. Sure glad I will be gone 25 years from now.

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"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

If anything makes this Country great, particularly in the eyes of the rest of the World, it is our general acceptance of multiculturalism.

you could not be more wrong.

as a 3rd generation american, i can tell you that "multi-culturalism" was never an attraction. being American was the attraction. it meant something special. it meant opportunity. you NEVER saw the flags of the home country paraded down the streets and demands of accommodation made. we did keep some of our traditions, foods, etc. but as an addition to being Americana, not to the exclusion of it.

multi-culturalism does not work. ask Canada, or any of the European countries that have tried it. it divides the people and fractures the nation.

what has changed is the reason people come here. they don't come for opportunity. they come for stuff. they don't care if they are American as long as they get that package of info on how to apply for stuff, the second they get off the boat.

again, not rocket science and nothing for us to learn. we could look to any other country and see that they are trying kill the idea of multi-culturalism because it's killing their societies.

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called “the government.” They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

I think the melting pot pot is coming along fine, all things considered. Could the full transition be quicker? Its not up to me, but come it will.

iddee; We only have 'one' world, we are but one organism out of billions feeding off of and then nourishing (?) our only home.

As beekeepers (or most any small farmer) it couldn't/shouldn't be more clear (to me)….this obvious connection to 'everything' that exists or ever has existed, including you my brother. The more advanced our society becomes the more I believe we must recognize and resist the temptation to draw imaginary lines in the sand with our collective brothers and sisters, all of them.

This is the message of the worlds most renowned profits.

« Last Edit: February 05, 2014, 11:23:15 AM by T Beek »

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"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

You cannot help others before you secure yourself. If you do, you both fail. If you don't protect what you have and control how and by whom it is used, you will end with nothing. I do not consider that bigotry. To me, bigotry is telling others to give up what they have, while hoarding what you have. I don't do that, the liberals do.

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"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

And we all know that we can all secure ourselves without (or before) we get help from others, right?

But back to the Coke commercial.....

I don't understand how anyone could feel 'offended as an American' by America the Beautiful being sung in other languages by a multinational corporation that sells sugar water and caffine at hugely inflated prices in a commercial that is aired during a television event that is designed solely to sell things that no one needs.

I think there is much more actual harm to 'the people' by making them think that drinking a certain brand of beer will get them bikini clad models and a speed boat to keep them in. This is demonstrably untrue...whereas we know for a fact that, at least my great grandfather who couldn't really speak English contributed exactly to what we all can agree upon to building the country and pushing the American Dream forward.

Bigots rarely if ever recognize their own prejudices. Its not part of their DNA….really, its true! Its how the behavior is justified in the bigot mind. Usually without ever realizing (caring?) or accepting any responsibility for how offensive their statements can be. Also; It often gets turned around in a futile defense of certain mythical ideologies, leaving the bigot irrationally believing 'they' are the ones being victimized :shock:. or is it just DENIAL?….. ;)

(I haven't drank a COKE (or any soda) in over 40 years). For those looking; Coke is well known for the theft of third world water rights from people they've forced into slavery (LABOR) and the purchasing of water that was once freely available. Between COKE and NESTLE, they've about sewn up the exclusive rights to own and/or control a large portion of the worlds fresh water. And they ain't done yet….

Our future 'water wars' will make our current oil wars seem like a cake walk……….Can't you all wait??????

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"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

Seems to me that idiots who can't come up with an intelligent reply have a normal routine of calling the other side names like bigot and racist. Seems to be proven more every day.

PS. Their were no names mentioned in the above posts, and there were no names mentioned in this post, so therefore no member has been called any name.

Logged

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"